It has been a long standing tradition that men propose to women when they want to get married. In the past, the men have had to ask the woman’s father for permission first, but nowadays women make their own marriage decisions. In the UK and Ireland there was a tradition that women could propose to their man on February 29th, a leap year. Scott Kay, the ring designer, certainly hopes that women will be proposing more often than that.

Here is an advertisement I found on the internet for “man-gagement” rings.
This is a very interesting marketing tactic as it appeals to the feminist side of all women as it encourages them to take charge of the direction of their relationship. Although this is a good idea in theory, because equality is important and this is a relatively untouched market, the world may not be ready for a trend like this.

I personally agree with this post by Lou K, in response to a Daily Mail article by Ted Thornhill:

“As for women proposing. I disagree with it. Most women are born ready to be wives and mothers. Once they’ve found the right man, it’s a no brainer. For males, it marks a massive turning point in their lives when they are ready for being a good husband and father – it’s a boy to man moment. Any man that takes marriage and fatherhood seriously will (rightly) see it as a huge responsibility. It’s very daunting for a lot of them. I think it’s disrespectful for a woman to take that moment/choice/decision away from him. When a man is ready to marry you, HE will propose. If he hasn’t.. well doesn’t that tell you something?”

Additionally, the article mentioned that 1 in 10 women propose, but three quarters of the women wished that the man had done it first. It’s a tradition, a beautiful symbol of love that women have dreamed of since they were little girls.

Is Scott Kay being smart by doing their research and leaping ahead by producing “man-gagement” rings and encouraging women to propose? I honestly can’t see “man-gagement” rings catching on nor do I think that women and men will begin proposing to each other in equal percentages. If it does manage to catch, then congratulations to them for being forward thinkers. If not, luckily Scott Kay designs engagement rings for women too.